Skip to content

All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated.

To view this licence, visit:
https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3

or write to:
Information Policy Team,
The National Archives,
Kew,
London TW9 4DU

or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

This publication is available at:
https://hmiprobation.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk.

© Crown copyright

‘Strengths and weaknesses’ found as Ascot House Approved Premises in Stockport rated ‘Requires improvement’

Published:

Ascot House Approved Premises (AP) in Stockport has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, said: “We found both strengths and weaknesses at Ascot House AP. While leadership was strong and staff were committed, the ability of practitioners to apply professional curiosity and effectively manage risk was hampering the service.”

Ascot House had experienced a challenging period of staff shortages which impacted performance and the completion of essential tasks. Staffing levels had improved at the time of inspection, however, were still below the expected standard and no guidance had been put in place on which tasks to prioritise when resources were stretched.

Fieldwork for this inspection identified serious concerns with the room-share suitability process, whereby inaccurate assessments had been made based on incomplete information from probation practitioners. This has highlighted a systemic vulnerability, and this report calls for clearer guidance and more robust checks to be put in place to ensure residents are placed appropriately and safely.

Mr Jones continued, “Our recommendations to Ascot House focus on getting the basics right. This will provide the service the foundations it needs to deliver a safe, more effective service which builds on the positive work already under way.”

The Inspectorate’s report makes 10 recommendations. Seven are for the Ascot House leadership team, including to engage all staff in a programme of training and development that will strengthen understanding of risk and promote professional curiosity in practice. There are also three recommendations for HM Prison and Probation Service, including to provide clear national guidance on room-share suitability assessments and disseminate it across the AP estate and probation delivery units to ensure safe and consistent practice.

ENDS 

Notes to editor 

  1. Approved Premises (APs) are residential units which provide temporary placements in the community for high-risk and complex people on probation. They offer enhanced supervision and rehabilitative support to individuals following release from prison.
  2. Ascot House is a public sector AP.
  3. At the time of our inspection in November 2025, Ascot had 18 residents in placement.
  4. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’, rating specific aspects of each service (for APs – leadership, staffing, safety, public protection, and rehabilitation) and giving an overall rating.
  5. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 28 January 2026 at 00.01.
  6. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
  7. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications: media@hmiprobation.gov.uk